Brilliant film marred by its ending

Rating: Null/10 (3 November 2003)

I highly recommend this film, I think it is well made and is worth viewing even for the atmosphere alone.
Every once in a while a film comes along which plays eloquently, then veers in a strange inconsistent direction, most likely at the request of industry execs to assure mass audience satisfaction. What Lies Beneath was another such film.
Possible spoilers
28 Days is much more than a simple by the numbers horror flick. It addresses themes of paranoia in society, and the dangers that the paranoia can yield. It also addresses the danger of power in a heightened state of fear. On that level, it works very well as a commentary on the current political climate in our world.
From the start, Danny Boyle poses a non-conventional approach to the story. His use of Digital Camera, male as a sex object (as opposed to female), enlightened & strong female protagonists, the destruction of foreshadowing (the 4 surviving horses), etc.
In all respects the beginning carries all the marks of a fiercely independent film, with enough atmosphere to burn.
All this said, the last 20 minutes of the movie feel really cheap. Rather than continue to break convention, Boyle chooses an ending which surely is a crowd pleaser. And even after seeing the alternate endings, something still doesn't feel right. And all I could keep thinking is how I would have liked it to end differently.
Romero's Night of the Living had a daring, disturbing, unconventional ending -- especially for 1968, but of course NOTLD was an independent film... then I looked at the 28 days box & saw the FOX VIDEO logo & realized that beneath it all, it is still a big studio movie... so the ending has unfortunately been comprimised.
Even with the additional endings featured on DVD (and probably because of them), the film feels unstable. The viewer is left with uncertainty of the director's vision & statement. So adding the "alternate" endings to the contrived studio ending just leaves more confusion as to Boyle's original message. And this is upsetting because the rest of the film plays out so perfectly.
Nonetheless, my personal gripes aside, I still think it's a brilliant movie and quite enjoyable as a whole. The greatest disappointment is that a film that would strive so hard to break convention would slide carelessly back into it at the end.